In the rather long list of Halloween-themed Saturn titles, one game that never seems to get the attention it deserves is Mr. Bones. A 2-disc affair, Mr. Bones is a collection of different gameplay styles and minigame-like experiences bound together by a fairly crazy story. You see, the evil scientist DaGhoulian has found a way to reanimate skeletons and have them do his bidding… but one skeleton remains unaffected by the mad scientist’s magic and sets out to take on DaGhoulian’s army of bones and save the day! This game is perhaps best described as WarioWare before that became a ‘thing’. A very different game to try out this Halloween.
Part of SEGA’s marketing strategy in North America included creating relatively elaborate promo booklets and making them available to various media outlets – especially print magazines. Featuring a detailed overview of the game being promoted, they always included a contact name and their details for getting in touch with them, over at SEGA of America. These promo booklets were never available to the general public and remain very elusive to track down, but they do represent a neat look into a very specific slice of marketing at industry members, by SEGA of America.
Courtesy of our Saturn-loving friend Roberto Cristino, we present scans of the Mr. Bones promotional booklet! Enjoy!
Some CG art on the cover and first page.
A great opening, highlighting everything good with the game. The most musically interactive character to ever hit the Saturn, indeed! The last section details the mechanics of the game. Did magazine editors of the time reference these ‘industry ads’ when writing about the game? It would certainly help with a game as off-beat as Mr. Bones.
Conclusion to gameplay mechanics as well as some general tips. We also have the description, and hints, for the game’s opening level – Grave Escape (oh, the puns).
Continuing with descriptions and tips for levels two (Mausoleum) and three (The Valley). These feel like the industry-insider version of a strategy guide.
The bottom-line hint for level four (Guitar Solo) is to feel the groove and let your soul take control! Words of wisdom for those trying to survive the horde of red-eyed skeletons. The next level, (Batwoods), is split into three sections – night, dawn, and day – and is the first level to be played during lush, daytime green surroundings! Some classic 2D platforming going on here.
Level eight (Rolling Logs) visually looks like a surrealist painting. In actual fact, it is an FMV auto-scrolling level, with Mr. Bones and any other sprites superimposed over the video, and the effect is remarkably well done. Not sure why the music is a slow country-style tune, but hey – Mr. Bones wants what he wants. As for level nine, Mr. Bones must once again solo, this time on drums. He stands in the center of four sets of drums and must play on the set that is flashing red. Play the right set of drums and they turn back to a pleasant blue… until you get sucked into a psychedelic vortex, that is!
Now, we approach Level 10 (Glass Shards), which the promo piece describes as the heart of nowhere. Indeed, Mr. Bones finds himself negotiating floating glass platforms with an ever-changing ethereal nebula-like cloud in the backdrop, all the while listening to a diatribe on what it’s like to be into the blues… with slow guitar riffs in between, of course. Hmm. Clearly, whoever green-lit this as SEGA of America was certainly… “seeing trippy colors”! Level 11 (Big Bones) is a bizarre platforming level based around timed jumps, as the Mister himself must put his body back together. Succeed, and be treated to a Mr. Bones hit single!
Level 12 sees Mr. Bones is falling into a cloud-swirling vortex. It plays similarly to Tempest, only this time, you want to catch your body parts and avoid anything else that the vortex may spew out. Short and sweet. The (Underwater Ride) level is another FMV level, seeing the intrepid skeletoid swim through an underground system of caves. The object here is to avoid hitting any walls as the level auto-scrolls. Succeed, and… get captured by tiny people that sound like the Minions, in a scene reminiscent of Gulliver’s Travels, because of course that makes perfect sense!
The Little People accuse Bones-san of working with DaGhoulian in bringing spiders into their village to kidnap them. Naturally, this is an allegation which our hero categorically denies. Deprived of his one call to his lawyer, he instead negotiates his freedom in exchange for agreeing to help the Little People against the spiders. In this 2D level, Mr. Bones runs left and right, zapping spiders as they come down on the Little People below. Nice. The following level, (The Icy Lake), is a top-down affair where The Bony One must avoid cracks in the ice, lest he breaks his hip. Ouch!
Level 16, (From Beneath the Ice) is perhaps the shortest level in the game. Viewed from beneath the ice (the fish-eye view, ha!), help Mr. Bones get to the shore by avoiding the darker areas, which slow him down. Play it well, and it’s over in a flash. Onwards to Level 17 (Shadow Monster), a bizarre game of keep-away as Mr. Bones’ shadow contends with the titular shadow monsters.
In keeping with the sane and pedestrian nature of the game, (Dry Moat), another FMV level, has Mr. Bones try and avoid being gobbled up by a skeletal, flying t-rex named Sparky. Can our bone-breath loosen Sparky from his chains and set him free? If he does, he’ll gain another friend and then it’s on to the (Hall of Pane). This next level is a first-person FMV glide through an enchanted monastery, full of stained glass panes. Avoid spiky logs and keep pressing forward! The world needs you!
This brings us to Level 20, the (Skeletism Generator). Our adventure is almost over. Inside the generator, this level plays a lot like Asteroids. Mr. Bones must collect blue skeletism and avoid or shoot the red ones. A lot of physics involved here. If successful, we proceed to (Funny Bones). This totally normal level sees Mr. Bones tell jokes to an audience of red-eyed skeletons. Say them just right and the crowd will laugh, and let you get away… or do you? DaGhoulian may have other plans for you…
This article is dedicated to Roberto Cristino, who graciously provided the scans of the Mr. Bones press pamphlet, and to Patrick TraynoCo Traynor, who would probably love this game if he only gave it a chance!
There is Another…
Other promo pamphlets surely exist, and we would love to feature them. If you have any and are happy to scan them in, send it to us at contact@segasaturnshiro.com!
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